"Been waiting for this:" Folks get outside and enjoy hottest day of 2016 so far

MILWAUKEE -- After a cold winter, people were ready for the heat. Clear skies, and a lot of sunshine on Saturday, June 11th drew people outdoors -- despite the heat.

"We're just out here, letting the kids play and have fun," said Shaunta Armstrong.

At Gordon Park in Milwaukee's Riverwest neighborhood, families flocked to the water.

"It gives the kids something to do and keeps them out of trouble," said Armstrong.

Serenity Stallworth

The little ones were busy running around the splash pad on the hottest day so far this year.

"It felt hot. I went through the sprinklers," said Serenity Stallworth, age seven.

"This is warm. It's nice. We've actually been waiting for this," said Jason Todd.

At the Veteran's Park Lagoon, Todd and Decosa Hobson cruised along the bike path with their grandchildren. The heat did slow them down a bit.

"Ten minutes and we've stopped. We came down and now we've turned around," said Decosa Hobson.

They might differ on what the perfect temperature might be, but they all agreed clear skies and time spent with family are hard to beat.

"I'm from Alabama, so we prefer this to the below-zero weather," said Todd Hobson.

"We would prefer 76°. 90° is kind of hot, but it's OK," said Decosa Hobson.

"We're having fun," said Todd Dobson.

This is just the beginning of the "dog days" of summer.